English Staff

English Curriculum Lead – M. Bird

Deputy Curriculum Lead – Z. Hussain

KS3

Millpool Campus – Z. Hussain

Grove Campus – I. Sharif

Oxted Campus – C. Kunert

KS4

Kings Campus – J. Bennett & E. Gill

Link Campus – M. Bird & S. Kellay

Firsbrook Campus – C. Osborne

 

English

In English, reading, writing, speaking and listening skills are vital in enabling pupils to be successful in further education, the world of work and in wider society.  At COBS we understand the importance of enabling our young people to become confident in all these areas.  We follow the current English National Curriculum Framework, which is flexible and adapted, yet it is still challenging and engaging, alongside sharpening good literacy and reading skills, which is central to our intent, that allows our pupils to explore texts that will promote their knowledge and understanding of different cultures and times, as well as sparking their creativity.

Pupils will have practiced a range of skills and approaches in Key stage 3 which includes Shakespeare, poetry, fiction and non-fiction for example.  At Key stage 4 pupils will study a play, poetry, Shakespeare, non-fiction texts, short-fiction texts and writing in a variety of fiction and non-fiction genres.

Encouraging a love for reading and literature is also key for our pupils in both Key stage 3 and Key stage 4, we actively promote enriching trips and foster the exploration of cultural capital.

 

Curriculum Provision

All pupils in KS3 are taught four lessons of English over a week, which then increases to five lessons in KS4.  In KS4 the five lesson are split into three English Language and two English Literature lessons, to secure key foundational skills and content needed for success in both language and literature.

We also offer English Functional Skills level 1 and 2 for a small minority of our pupils.

Exam Board: AQA

English Language Specification: GCSE English Language Specification for first teaching in 2015 (sanity.io)

English Language Specification: GCSE English Literature Specification for first teaching in 2015 (aqa.org.uk)

Home learning/Revision Links:

GCSE English Language - AQA - BBC Bitesize

GCSE English Revision | Worksheets | Past Papers (mmerevise.co.uk)

Free Homework & Revision for A Level, GCSE, KS3 & KS2 (senecalearning.com)

No Fear Shakespeare | SparkNotes

Macbeth - GCSE English Literature - BBC Bitesize

A Christmas Carol - GCSE English Literature - BBC Bitesize

An Inspector Calls - GCSE English Literature - BBC Bitesize

Worlds & Lives: Overview | AQA GCSE English Literature Revision Notes 2015 (savemyexams.com)

Responding to poems - Comparing unseen poems – WJEC - GCSE English Literature Revision - WJEC - BBC Bitesize

 

Exam Dates Summer 2025:

English Language:

AQA English Language Paper 1: Morning Friday 23rd May 2025

AQA English Language Paper 2: Morning Friday 6th June 2025

English Literature:

AQA English Literature Paper 1: Morning Monday 12th May 2025

AQA English Literature Paper 2: Morning Tuesday 20th May 2025

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